STARS. Why Comunity Base Tourism

The boat arrives to Savo island, local fisherman help us to push the boat ashore.

There is a group of nervous kids waiting for us at the village, they pretend to be hide at bushes, disguised with leaves and arm with stick spears. When we get closed they charge toward us, screaming and threatening, scary and laughing by equal.

This is the welcome the Melanesian warriors use to give to foreigners, showing the power of their tribe, now is cultural heritage transmitted to the kids.

After hike to the volcano, guided by a bunch of kids I found a men working on copra, drying coconuts to extract the oil. He is wise, very polite, speak perfect english, and is very glad to meet us. He said that they like to receive foreigners, the last time was two years ago, when some Polish medicine students go to visit the island.

The wind is blowing and the waves are growing bigger, we have to stop in a small island to rest and wait for the weather to improve.

There is a small dock with a motor launch. Bushes have been cut down to plant garden flowers. Thereare some small houses, in good shape, perfectly white. We go to the main building were the waitress offer to us some canned soft drinks, a Coke bottle in China.

I go to talk with and old men he is carving wood, makes appears an amazing turtle with a simple knife. He is all day there, to sell souvenirs to the tourists. The tourist are out for scuba diving. There is no more local people in that island, the Australian owner do not live there.

One man is proud to show his village, sharing how they lived, eager to learn from the visitors. Another man sell his art expecting to get some coins from the tourists.

There is always an impact on the decisions we make, on the things we buy, on the places we travel.

Is up to us to choose which impact we want to leave on the places we visit. And if we choose wisely the place will also leave an impact on us.